Just wanted to say that I appreciated your article on the O'Bannon Case. My views on that organization are pretty well known (and for the record pre-date OSU's run in with the NCAA in 2011). You did a nice job making the point that the NCAA is broken, but O'Bannon is unlikely to fix it.

I have said that the NCAA runs a foul of anti-trust law and this is not the only place. Personally, I am all for the university's keeping all their money from TV revenue and etc. I just think that players should be allowed to earn too. If the NCAA wanted to say that scholarships are for amateurs only, and then allowed players to professionalize themselves while playing at schools by signing with agents, selling autographs, etc. I would be OK with that.

For a football team, you limit the roster to 105 (scholarship or not) and if an athlete choses to go "professional" he pays his own way and is still required to go to class in order to be affiliated with the school. More similar to the Olympic Model of Amateurism.

Coming from a Wolverine, we're the football equivalent of a formerly abused wife of a meth addict who just remarried the safe nice guy. We're just glad we have someone who's aware that it's a rivalry and that tackling on defense is integral. Baby steps.

I will say though, and I know it wasn't the point, is that even though the O'Bannon case may not "fix" the NCAA, it's shocking what losing tens (or hundreds) of millions of $$$$ will do to facilitate change.

It was shocking to me to find out a year or two ago what a huge percentage of all NCAA revenues come from March Madness alone...like 85-90%. They make virtually nothing from football...the overall cash cow of college sports...because the TV deals are between conferences and networks...(which more and more are becoming one and the same)

So big time college football doesn't NEED the NCAA at all, but because they administer the other 35 or so sports played at the college level, they retain some leverage I guess. It's unclear who would run sports championships for women's rowing without them...??

If you could keep the schools (and mostly the AD's and coaching staffs) out of the "pay the players" system, it would have a chance to work...otherwise I think it could be a disaster...an open invitation to fraud and abuse. And I also think it would change forever the kind of kid you'd get in college sports. There is still some semblance of amateurism...at least in all the sports except basketball and football...kids playing for the love of the game in addition to the scholarship incentive...is that naive of me? Maybe.

But you know with Title IX and all, that if you pay one football player, you're going to have to pay that non-revenue-generating woman volleyball player too. I think it would ruin it...at least I think it would for me.

"I believe it is the nature of the human species to reject what is true but unpleasant and to embrace what is obviously false but comforting." H.L. Mencken

That is exactly why I think the NCAA and its member institutions should not get in the business of paying players, but instead they should get out of the way of letting players earn their own money. If Pryor wants to put his Rose Bowl ring on Ebay, let him. If Braxton wants to sign autographs at Easton for 20.00 a piece, let him. If they want to earn money for the use of their likeness in EA sports games, let them. If players want to sign with agents and take out cash advances so they can insure their own knees (instead of taking out a $35K loan from the NCAA like Clowney had to this year) or move their families out of the ghetto/sticks or to their new city, then so be it. The NCAA's amateurism only works to create a black market for improper benefits, shady backroom dealings, unenforceable contracts and paperwork/investigations that really serve no benefit.

Doing it this way gets the actually gets the NCAA off the hook. Now if the NCAA wants to charge EA sports for the right to use Ohio State's specific liknesses (the logo, stadium, Brutus, etc.) then so be it. I think splitting it this way may get the TV revenues off the table.

Coming from a Wolverine, we're the football equivalent of a formerly abused wife of a meth addict who just remarried the safe nice guy. We're just glad we have someone who's aware that it's a rivalry and that tackling on defense is integral. Baby steps.